All posts by Gavin Fabiani-Laymond

About Gavin Fabiani-Laymond

President, CEO & Editor of https://gavinsgadgets.com Reviews & News of Technology View all posts by Gavin Fabiani-Laymond →

iPad Pro – Why 12.9 inches is the right size – My First Look

November 12, 2015Apple, Reviews, Tech News, Uncategorizedipad pro, screen sizeGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Tomorrow I will share my first impressions on my iPad Pro after I have spent some time using it later tonight, but for now I want to share why 12.9 inches is the right size.

iPhones used to have a 3.5 or 4 inch screen so a 9.7 inch iPad offered a leap up in screen size. Move forward and with the new iPhone 6S Plus and its 5.5 inch screen, along with landscape support and its possible to do so much more with the larger iPhone screen. This in turn means the gap between 5.5 and 9.7 inch iPad was a much smaller leap forward.

Now jump to the iPad Pro and all its 12.9 inch screen and suddenly everything justs feel better and different, more engaging, more everything. But Apple did something clever be choosing 12.9 inches. With split screen, the two screens are the same as having 2 iPad Air 2 in portrait mode.

Now that is neat! And that is why 12.9 inches is the right size.
PS. If you have any questions on the iPad Pro or Smart Keyboard, let me know in the usual way. Unfortunately, I don’t have the Apple Pencil yet.

The iPad Pro – Logic vs Lust vs Opinions

November 12, 2015Apple, Tech Newsipad pro, logic vs lustGavin Fabiani-Laymond

You may be asking what has the above edited photo got to do with the iPad Pro? Actually in my case quite a lot.

A few days ago, I posted about the high ticket price of owning an iPad Pro and asked the question is it worth the cost versus other forms of devices available from Apple and other companies.

Now all the reviews landed, and they were mixed. Some clearly in love with Apple Public Relations, and others providing a more realistic point of view. The reviews were mixed overall.

Last night I probably ended up watching far too many video reviews, but what I did learn is that the large sized iPad is a stunning piece of technology with loads of potential. I believe potential is the correct word, as once again apps will need to be updated to reflect the bespoke screen size and new apps will need to be released in due course.

The Apple Pencil and Apple Smart Keyboard are just as superb as the iPad Pro and I can see the potential once again.

So back to the edited photo embedded above. This was shot on my iPhone, edited in VSCO Cam and edited again in Photogene. Now if this photo was edited on my macbook, I would be using Lightroom 6. Photos snapped in RAW from my Sony RX100 have the option to be edited in Photomatrix Pro 5. These 2 photo editing programs possess huge editing capabilities and functionality, but they do not exist for iOS and or the iPad Pro. If they did, I could see myself using the iPad Pro instead of the macbook. But then some of the iOS photo editing apps are superb. So it all depends on what matters more to yourself.

Which takes me back to my conclusion, the iPad Pro with all the accessories is a fine piece of tech. Expensive and won’t be fully appreciated until apps catch up with this new powerhouse.

I know that several of you were disappointed with the Apple online ordering system. The Apple Pencil was not available for another 3-4 weeks after the iPad Pro was due to be delivered, and that the Smart Keyboard was only available in US English. Apparently, you can walk into several Apple stores and pick everything up. No mad queues this time!

So all I need now is a small lottery win, which is not likely.

Which Phone has the Best Camera? Low Light Shots? – The Verdict

November 11, 2015Android, Apple, BlackBerrybest low light shot, which phone has the best cameraGavin Fabiani-Laymond

If I charged everyone £1 to answer the question below, I would be a millionaire and retired. That’s how often I get asked this question. Nobody seems to care any more if the phone can make calls, all everyone wants to know, is the camera any good and is the camera any good in low light.

So today, I am going to answer these two questions, once and for all using examples from a selection of different smartphones.

If you want to photograph a seagull, use an iPhone 6S Plus.

If you want to photograph high flying dogs, use a LG G4.

If you want to photograph a wet dog, use a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.

If you’re on a diet, then use a Vodafone Smart Ultra 6.

If you drive a Mercedes, then use a Huawei Mate S.

If you like to live on the wild side, then use a Sony Z5 Compact.

If you want to photograph flowers, then use a Samsung Galaxy S6.

If you’re a fit bastard, then use a HTC One M9.

If you’re into erections, then use a Lumia 830.

If you’re into milk, then use a Xiaomi Mi Note Pro.

If you’re into Resident Evil, then use an Amazon Fire phone.

And if you must shoot in poor low light conditions, then use an iPhone 3GS.

In summary, the cameras on smartphones have reached a stage now where the quality is good enough! But there is more to asking the question, which phone has the best camera? Are you talking about features to create a better shot, manual controls, selfie beauty modes, speed of use,4K video recording, time lapse, super night mode or what? There is so much more than to this question, and if you look at the photos from all the different phones, it highlights the point, it doesn’t really matter any more! Also, everyone shoots in different scenarios, so one answer may not be the same for another person. In the last 12 months, I have used so many different phones all of which have been extremely capable shooters. If you really want a better camera, buy a Sony RX100. It’s small and fits in your pocket with ease!

More information on the Sony RX100 range of cameras

Apple Music lands on Android – So What Comes Next?

November 11, 2015Android, Apple, Tech Newsandroid, Apple Music, EditorialGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Yesterday Apple released Apple Music on Android complete with a 3 month trial for new users. If you sign in to Apple Music on android with the same email used on iOS you can use your iOS subscription to play your tunes on Apple Music with your android device now.

The release of Apple Music on android is significant. It competes directly with Google Play Music and Amazon Music. By offering more of their services on a range of hardware, Apple has moved itself even deeper into the online service offerings.

Maybe, Apple realises that smartphone growth has peaked so now its time to spread its wings to compete elsewhere.

What do you think? And have you downloaded Apple Music on your android phone?

Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 – Full Specifications on the new processor

November 11, 2015Tech Newsfull specs, qualcomm snapdragon 820 processorGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Qualcomm unveiled its new Snapdragon 820 processor. It is a beast of a processor but let’s hope it doesn’t overheat like the 810.

The full specifications are as below –

Source – Qualcomm

Nexus 6P – Just how good is the camera? – Camera Samples

November 10, 2015Android, Reviews, Tech NewsCamera samples, Nexus 6PGavin Fabiani-Laymond

The Nexus 6P is the first Nexus phone to have a decent camera. The camera has large pixels, 1.55 microns but does omit optical image stabilisation. Google commented that OIS was not required with such large pixels.

Whilst in my testing, the lack of optical image stabilisation has not been an issue for many of the shots, I do believe it would make a difference still especially in low light. I also believe the software could be further enhanced over time to make the camera a fair bit better all round.

Anyway, some random shots from the Nexus 6P.

Photo 1 – Plenty of fog, but a good shot despite the conditions.

Photo 2 – The Famous Church Shot – A very good shot

Photo 3 – Olives and More – Good detail

Photo 4 – Tesco Tavistock – A really grim day but good definition on the sign

Photo 5 – Leaves – a reasonable amount of bokeh

Photo 6 – Cheese – Again lots of detail

Photo 7 – Tesco – Zooming in on the Tesco sign reveals good detail again

Just some background when taking these photos. I took these all hand held and as fast as possible. Overall, I like the quality of the Nexus 6P photos. However, HDR+ takes too long to save photos and the battery life gets zapped when taking photos.

Apple iPad Pro – On Sale Tomorrow – Would you spend £1,117 on an iPad?

November 10, 2015Apple, Tech Newsipad pro, on sale details, why buyGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Online orders for Apple’s new iPad Pro will start in 48 countries tomorrow and will go on general sale at Apple’s retail stores on Friday. The Apple Pencil and Apple’s new Smart Keyboard will also be available to order on Wednesday.

The iPad Pro is huge with a 12.9 inch screen. It weighs 713g so is around the same weight as the original iPad. Add a case and it will be noticeable heavy. However, it is a powerful beast with Apple’s A9X chip and 4GB of ram.

Prices for the iPad Pro start at £679 for the 32GB with Wi-Fi model and £899 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular 128GB model in the UK. There is no 64gb model. Its 32gb wifi only or 128gb wifi + cellular. The Apple Pencil will cost £79 and the smart keyboard £139. (In the US, prices start at $799 for 32GB up to $1,079 for the 128GB Wi-Fi and Cellular version).

That means if you need more than 32gb storage, you have to jump to the 128gb model which costs £899. Then add the smart keyboard and pencil and now you are talking £899 + £79 + £139 = £1,117. Woah!

£1,117 for an iPad!

For £1,117 you could buy an Apple MacBook Air, Mac and even a MacBook Pro and use professional applications and more. You can even buy a number of Apple’s normal size iPads. In fact you can buy 3 x Apple iPad Mini 4 iPads!

This makes the reason to buy the iPad Pro a tricky one because what will you use it for that can’t be achieved by something a fraction of the price?

The Tag Heuer Connected – £1,100 Android Wear Watch

November 10, 2015Android, Tech News, Wearablesdetails, specs, Tag Heuer Connected Watch, videosGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Yesterday, Tag Heuer annouced their new Tag Heuer Connected, a £1,100 android wear watch. Below are 2 videos, one detailing just the specs and the other an overview of the new watch.

The watch was developed in partnership between Intel and Google. It is made of titanium, conforms to IP67 and based off of the Carrera Calibre design. It has a 46mm face with a sapphire crystal touch screen.

After 2 years Tag Heuer is offering customers the ability to upgrade to a real watch ie non android wear, so really the £1,100 is future proofed. The Connected Watch does not have a heart rate sensor, so health tracking options are limited.

So would you buy one?

And a 360 degree product specification tour.

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact – review

November 9, 2015Android, Reviews, Tech NewsReview, Sony Xperia Z5 CompactGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Welcome to my review of the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact. The Z5 Compact is a solid feeling design, that is water and dust proof, has a dedicated 2 stage hardware camera button and incorporates some of Sony’s high end audio tech. It also got awarded by Dx0Mark the number spot for smartphone cameras over the iPhone, LG G4, Samsung Note 5 and more. The sensor is the Z5 Compact is the new 23mp sensor from Sony.

The new Z5 Compact also incorporates a fingerprint sensor in the power button which is located on the side.

Basics

Key Specification –

– Networks – GSM, HSPA, LTE
– Dimensions – 127 x 65 x 8.9 mm
– Weight 138 g
– Nano-SIM
– IP68 certified – dust proof and water resistant over 1.5 meter and 30 minutes
– Screen – IPS, 4.6 inches 720 x 1280 pixels, 323 ppi
– Multitouch – up to 10 fingers
-Protection – Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating, Triluminos display,X-Reality Engine
– Android OS, v5.1.1 planned upgrade to v6.0
– Chipset – Snapdragon 810, GPU Adreno 430
– Card slot – microSD, up to 200 GB
– Internal -32 GB, 2 GB RAM
– Camera – Primary 23 MP, 5520 х 4140 pixels, phase detection autofocus, LED flash,
– Video 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps, HDR, check quality
– Secondary – 5.1 MP, 1080p, HDR
– Loudspeaker – stereo speakers
– 3.5mm jack with High-Res audio
– Communications – WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot
Bluetooth v4.1, A2DP, apt-X
– GPS- A-GPS, GLONASS/ Beidou (market dependant)
– NFC Yes
– Radio FM radio with RDS
– USB microUSB v2.0 (MHL 3 TV-out), USB Host
– Sensors -Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
– Battery – Non-removable Li-Ion 2700 mAh battery

The Sony Z5 Compact is water and dust proof. It even has a lanyard hook. The fingerprint sensor is located on the power button on the side of the phone and this worked perfectly. The 720p screen is fantastic. Sharp and crisp. Good viewing angles too. Call quality was ok too. Sony include several apps – Amazon Shopping, AVG Protection, Dropbox, Facebook, File Commander, FM Radio, Email, Calculator, Kobo Books, Lifelog, Live screen streaming, Movie Creator, News from Sociallife, OfficeSuite, Playstation, Privilege Plus, PS Video, PSN, Sketch, Smart Connect, Spotify, Track ID, Twitter, Vine, Xperia Lounge and What’s New. The Z5 Compact has many options from glove mode, connecting a Dual Shock Controller and playing your Playstation games on your phone, screen mirroring, casting screen, media servers, themes, tap to wake up and one of the best power managements options to give you 2 days or more battery life. Another unusual feature present in the Z5 Compact is the two way camera hardware shutter button.

Obviously being the compact phone in its range with high end specs too, makes the Z5 Compact rather unique in the android world where most phones are just getting larger and larger. The Z5 Compact has a Snapdragon 810 processor and whilst this caused problems with overheating in previous phones, it hasn’t caused any issues with the Z5 Compact. The phone when pushed very hard does get warm, sometimes very warm but the heat levels were under control, and I have not had any heat warnings either.

AnTuTu scored a respectable 64,000.

Camera and Audio

The Sony camera app contains a multitude of options but in reality it is more auto biased. In manual mode you only have a few file size options. Full, 8, 3 or 2mp. You can only select scenes at 8mp. ISO is not controllable at full resolution only 8mp, nor are some other settings. So really manual is not a proper manual mode like that on the LG G4, it is an extension to the superior auto mode.

There are scenes for every occasion and a selection of camera modes, with some freaky cool Artificial Reality modes and more. There are more modes available for download in the Google Play store too. BUT there is no burst mode! That is really an oversight. I had to download Timeshift Burst which takes 30 shots in a second or two. It was able to grab some fancy action shots, but the quality was poor.

The camera app also allows for other adjustments dependant on file size and mode used. On the flash front you get auto, fill flash, torch, red eye and off. Other options include face recognition, smile shutter, timers, microphone on or off, brightness, colour, quick launch, grid lines, touch capture, white balance, EV, ISO up to 3,200 in some modes, focus type and volume key. Don’t forget there is a 2 stage camera hardware button. Pressing this always launches superior auto mode. Pressing the app icon, launches the last used mode along with the last used settings. There is no raw option or other manual controls like shutter speed.

So let us take a look at the picture quality. My observations are that superior auto does a reasonable job. In good light it takes good shots and macros are good too. Superior Auto can shoot at 23mp. In manual mode, you have a few more options. However in lower light it is best to shoot in 8mp manual and if necessary select the night scene required. Superior Auto is not terrible, it just seems to bias towards higher ISO settings which means more noise in the shots. The sensor does get impacted by bright flare, so it is necessary to place your hand slightly to block the bright light. This is easy to do as you can hold phone in one hand and use the hardware button to take the shot and use the other hand to block the offending light. There is a rumour that Sony is overhauling the camera app soon. I really hope so! The firmware update that’s just arrived has improved the camera slightly. Video at 1080p is excellent as the electronic image stabilisation works very well. At 4K it’s not as steady. The front camera produced average only shots but does have tons of AR type modes from adding animal faces, making your lips reds or even creating a mysterious look. This gave me glowing blue eyes! You really can have some fun with the camera options. So how would I rank the camera versus the competition now that I have used the Z5 Compact for a few weeks? The Note 5 and LG G4 are ahead of the Z5 Compact across all the different modes (video/stills) and they have full manual controls. However, the Z5 Compact is the first camera sensor from Sony that I would be happy to use daily.

The above shot is at night of the visitors centre in Princetown.

Even more challenging is the local church as their is no lights to help focus.

Above a portrait of one of my dogs Tiggy.

Below are 3 of the photos using Timeshift Burst.

Above just some random close up of a plant.

Below are random shots of my local church.

Below is a frame from the Timeburst Shift mode.

If you want to see all 25 shots taken with the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact, click HERE.

The audio is rather decent. Front stereo speakers that whilst not HTC Boomsound levels are ok. And on the front! Sony’s music app has audio settings DSEE HX (upgrades the quality of compressed music to near Hi Res Audio quality), Clear Audio+, Sound Effects (EQ, Surround, S Force Front Surround for the loudspeaers, ) noise cancellation (with certain Sony headphones) and more. All these audio functions work really well to provide a good quality output via headphones. I would recommend in ear canal type headphones and with certain Sony headphones you can even have active noise cancellation. The music app also includes options to stream music from your home network, podcasts and incorporates Spotify.

Summary

The Sony Z5 Compact is an ideal one handed device, offering tons of functionality and options galore. With its smaller size it becomes unique in the world of android phones. If I had one wish, it would be for Sony to refine and simplify the camera app, so its auto mode was the best in class by making it simpler, and then have a proper manual mode with raw and shutter support.

My thanks go to Clove Technology for supplying the Sony Z5 Compact.

Nexus 6P – Camera Sample – The Famous Church Shot

November 8, 2015Android, Reviews, Tech Newscamera shot, Nexus 6PGavin Fabiani-Laymond

With nearly every smartphone test, I take a photo or two of my local church. This serves another purpose as it allows for comparisons with previous tested/reviewed phones on picture quality using the church as the reference. Obviously, weather conditions can play a part, but it still provides a reasonable guide.

So below, in spooky fog, the Church of St Michaels and All Angels, Princetown, taken by the new Nexus 6P. I thought the quality was excellent in this shot, despite the fog and rain!

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